Columbus was alive with the sound of payments as EPCOR members gathered together from April 14–16 for our spring conference in Columbus, OH. For three jam-packed days, the industry tuned in to the latest trends, shared bold ideas, celebrated innovation and connected with fellow payments pros.
Paymentspalooza Takes the Stage
We opened Paymentspalooza with two powerful pre-conference workshops, Preparing for New ACH Origination Fraud Monitoring and Mitigation Rules with EPCOR’s Trevor Witchey and Navigating Reg E led by EPCOR’s Sharon Hallmark. Once the stage was set, EPCOR's President and CEO Brandie Thacker and Board Chair Paula Barrington from Bank of Oklahoma gave a warm welcome to attendees to officially kick off the conference.
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TrueCore Federal Credit Union Receives Payments Innovation Award
The highlight of opening day was awarding the 2025 EPCOR Payments Innovation Award to TrueCore Federal Credit Union. TrueCore was recognized for their app Zogo, a financial literacy app that turns smart money habits into an engaging, rewarding experience. Their work reflects a growing need for digital tools that educate and empower users, aligning perfectly with EPCOR’s mission of elevating payments through education and innovation. Learn more about the impact of TrueCore’s financial literacy app, Zogo. Congratulations, TrueCore FCU!
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Opening Sessions Strike a Chord
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The first general session, moderated by Jeff Rendel of Rising Above Enterprises, featured a fraud-focused panel with Ian Mitchell of The Knoble, Caroline Cypriano of JJ4 Tech and Sarah Greene of Hocking Valley Bank. The discussion hit all the right notes, diving into current fraud trends, how scammers are evolving and how the industry can stay ahead of fraud. |
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The momentum continued with a variety of breakout sessions covering everything from check fraud, to Visa rules and the future of instant payments. Later that afternoon, Ian Mitchell returned to the main stage with his session, Banking with Heart, a powerful reminder of the human impact of financial crime and why institutions must look beyond numbers and rules to protect their most vulnerable consumers.
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The evening ended on a high note with the crowd favorite Gala Reception, featuring great food, electric networking and photo opportunities with our feathered friend, Hoot-E! Attendees also had a chance to visit our photo booth and snap some memorable conference selfies!
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Turning It Up on Day Two
The beat picked back up Tuesday morning with the session, What’s Next with the Economy and the Effect on Your Financial Institution, led by Mike Schenk of America’s Credit Unions. With his clarity and insight, Mike broke down recent economic shifts, shared updated spending and payments data and laid out what financial institutions should be watching heading into 2025.
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Following Schenk’s presentation, attendees flowed into more breakout sessions featuring fresh perspectives and real-world lessons. Michael Herd of Nacha shared updates in What’s New at Nacha in 2025, Will Grace of DeNovo Treasury unpacked key concepts in Understanding Treasury Management and Mark Majeske of Alacri offered implementation insights in Instant Payments: Lessons Learned from the Field.
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Lunch featured a vendor showcase that had the exhibit hall buzzing. Attendees had the chance to connect with providers like Pidgin, Shazam, the U.S. Faster Payments Council and many others for demos, chats and solutions worth exploring.
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The learning didn’t stop there! Afternoon breakout sessions kept the energy up with deep dives into payments regulations, faster payments, scams and more. Whether you were focused on strategy, compliance or operations, there was something for everyone on the setlist.
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To wrap up the day, Robyn Hatcher of SpeakEtc. took the mic with her session, Own It While You Hone It, encouraging attendees to ditch imposter syndrome, reframe their stories and recognize their unique value. Drawing on brain science and personal growth strategies, Robyn reminded everyone that confidence isn’t about being perfect, it’s about owning where you are while striving for more.
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To end the evening, attendees headed out for Dining with Strangers, an EPCOR conference tradition. Members split off into small groups and headed to local spots across Columbus for great food and even better conversation.
Wrapping Up with Insight and Impact
The final day of the conference opened with The Morning Payments Show, a fast-paced general session offering timely updates and trends in the payments industry. Speakers Joni Hopkins of the Federal Reserve Financial Services and Michael Herd of Nacha shared what’s new with FedNow®, faster payments and what financial institutions should have on their radar for this year.
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Breakout sessions followed, and attendees chose from several standout sessions including Receiving Funds: A Review of Recent Cases and Rules Changes with Scott Jones of Adams and Reese LLP, The Changing Landscape of Debit Card Fraud and Error Claim Compliance with Diana Kern of Shazam, Utilizing AI to Improve Operations and Risk Management with Kevin Miyamoto of Identifee and The Perfect Storm for Fraudsters with Michael Burke of Shazam.
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The final general session of the conference, What’s Next in Payments? A Look into the Future was moderated by Jeff Rendel and hosted panelists including Kevin Miyamoto, Scott Jones and Diana Kern, where they discussed their insights and predictions on what’s in store for payments in 2025 and beyond.
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Before officially closing out the event, EPCOR gave away a series of exciting prizes as a final way to say thank you to our attendees for bringing their energy, curiosity and engagement to this year’s conference.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to all the speakers, sponsors, exhibitors and conference planning committee members who helped bring our 2025 spring conference to life. Your contributions helped make this event a tremendous success. Be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for photos and highlights from the event.
Make sure to mark your calendars for EPCOR’s next big event, our fall conference, scheduled for October 6–8 at the Sheraton Overland Park Hotel. We’re already tuning up for the fall conference, and we can’t wait to jam with you again soon!